


Lesson Learned

by OTPsaisa



Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Boys In Love, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff without Plot, Humor, Idiots in Love, M/M, Sano is a brat, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27088351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTPsaisa/pseuds/OTPsaisa
Summary: When it came to Sanosuke, Saitou learned his lesson the first time.-a collection of fluffy one shots.-
Relationships: Sagara Sanosuke/Saitou Hajime
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	1. eating habits

Saitou learned his lesson the first time he critiqued Sanosuke's food choices in public. 

He was warily eyeing the dishes that had just been placed before his lover. One of which held nankotsu, chicken cartilage; which Saitou never cared for as he found the texture off-putting. The other, horumonyaki, just disgusting in and of itself: fried innards.

"I can't believe some of the stuff you eat."

An elderly woman at the next table, too nosey for her own good, had kept an ear on their entire conversation thus far. Saitou caught it every time she attempted to sneak glances at the oblivious brunette across from him.

Sanosuke looked up at him from under quirked brows, a mischievous smile on his face as he paused the ascent of food to his mouth. 

"Says the old man who has _literally_ eaten my ass."

The woman choked on her food, making a mess of herself. Saitou watched with concealed amusement as the woman half turned to catch another glimpse of the young man, realized Saitou was watching her, and quickly turned away to hide her food speckled blush.

As was said, Saitou learned his lesson the first time and only repeated the 'mistake' when the eavesdropping, old women in town paid a little too much attention to him and his rooster.


	2. sleeping habits

Saitou learned his lesson the first time he tried to wake Sanosuke earlier than the rooster felt was appropriate. 

They had resorted to cohabitation after a few months of wasting money on rent for two separate spaces; one of which was often vacant. It wasn't long before they began discovering each other's routines and habits, both the good and the bad. 

Saitou smoked like a chimney on stressful days–which were most days, admittedly–but found time every morning to meditate and stretch no matter how busy his schedule. Sanosuke spent far too long in the bath if left unattended–he'd fallen asleep in there more times than Saitou liked to count–but kept a surprisingly clean house and never left mess for long, even if it was Saitou's mess. 

Saitou had always been early to rise, sometimes waking long before the sun had a chance to bathe their bedroom in its gold and orange glow. Sanosuke, quite the opposite, preferred to burrow himself beneath layers of blankets to fend off the intrusion as that eventual morning light threatened to blind him. 

It started with soft words as he pushed away a bit of the blanket covering Sanosuke's head. He whispered sweet nothings and salacious offerings until the tickle of his breath over sleep-warmed skin gained him the lazy wave of a hand in his face. Saitou persisted, lips making contact with an earlobe before his tongue tasted the skin there and moved lower. 

Sanosuke buried himself further into his blankets in an attempt to escape calloused hands as they wandered further between fabric and flesh. He found them warm and so _annoying_.

"...stop touching me..." It was a long whine, muffled. Saitou squinted against the creeping sunlight and smiled against unruly brown hair. 

Sanosuke wiggled around in the arms and blankets surrounding him until he faced Saitou, sleepy eyes peering out from his cocoon.

"Good morning," all of the gentleness Saitou reserved for the ahou spilled from his lips as he placed kisses against a bare forehead and eyelids that shut once more. 

"...says who?" A low groan this time, gravely and unmuffled.

"Says you," Saitou's hand crept low, skimming past abdominal muscles that trembled at the soft touch. He firmly palmed what he found there to emphasize his point.

One of Sanosuke's eyes opened halfway and Saitou fought back a mood ruining comment comparing him to Chou.

"...it's _so early_..." 

"It is not," more kisses across his cheeks and nose, "I should already be at work."

"Then why aren't you?" Saitou's only response was to press his lips against the puffy pout before him, his hand cupping to hold Sanosuke fully. He did not fight or move to push away, despite his noises of complaint, and when Saitou's mouth withdrew–"why're you still here bothering me?"

Saitou hummed out what sounded like a laugh, amused by the brat he had welcomed into his bed. _Their bed._

Freeing the blanket from Sanosuke's strong grip proved harder than expected with how close to unconsciousness the man seemed, but once he had succeeded, Saitou made himself at home between Sanosuke's legs. Covering Sanosuke's body with his own, he coaxed his sleepy roosterhead to his back and pulled the blankets up around their shoulders. 

"You're heavy." Again, Saitou was met with no resistance as he was permitted to take what he wanted. It was slow and sweet, so different from their encounters when they were each more wakeful. 

When both were satisfied, Saitou remained above his lover, chest to chest, worshipping him with kisses. It didn't last as long as he would've liked though, as Sanosuke had finally had enough and weakly threw him off. Saitou allowed it, rolling to his back on the cold floor, turning enough to watch brown hair and tan skin disappear once more beneath the assortment of blankets Saitou had gotten just for that purpose. 

Sanosuke would be mad at him for most of the day for waking him _so early_ even though the manner in which he had done so had been pleasant for them both. His young lover, quick to anger yet quick to forgive, would forget his annoyance by that evening, leaving Saitou to decide if he wanted to risk a worse reaction the morning next. 

As was said, Saitou learned his lesson the first time and only repeated the 'mistake' when the want to see his lover's sleep ruffled feathers became too much to resist. Unfortunately for Sanosuke, he found it was what he wanted most mornings.


	3. bathing habits

Saitou learned his lesson the first time he left Sanosuke on his own to bathe.

He should have known something like this would happen. Sanosuke had never before had the luxury of his own private bath, always relying on the public houses or the one at the Kamiya girl's dojo, so of course the kid abused that privilege. Saitou really, really should have seen it coming. 

Saitou had left the house later than usual, which was fine; being late to work wasn't necessarily a big deal when times were so peaceful (and really, who was going to dare reprimand him?). It allowed him the rare occurrence of watching Sanosuke awaken on his own, wild haired and sleepy eyed. It also allowed him the chance to witness his morning routine, mostly consisting of stretching like a lazy cat, yawning until his jaw cracked, and warming the bath. 

"No breakfast?" Saitou questioned around his cigarette, watching Sanosuke stoke the contained fire. 

"I'll eat after I clean up... you did a number on me last night and now I smell." Sanosuke laughed from where he knelt, tucking his nose under the collar of his yukata before playfully reeling to emphasize his point. 

"True," the word was accompanied by a smirk as smoke slipped past thin lips. 

"Hey!" Sanosuke snapped at him though it lacked any heat. "You're not supposed to agree with me!"

That's about how the morning went until Sanosuke was settled in the bath and Saitou was leaving after they had shared their goodbyes, which was mostly Sanosuke shouting from the tub, _"bye, Jime! Love you! I'll miss you! Have a good day~!"_ until Saitou was sure the neighbors could hear. 

It wasn't until hours later that Saitou returned home and the house was quiet, dark. Every room had been left exactly as it was when he'd departed that morning, the futon was vacant, and Sanosuke was nowhere to be found. Mild concern overtook Saitou as he slid open the door to the backyard, only finding more silence and no roosters. Eyes locking on the bathhouse, he realized that everything was _exactly_ as he'd left it, including Sanosuke's sandals by the door leading into the bath. 

Curiosity won over concern as Saitou removed his own shoes and entered the little room, and there was his prize- almost fully submerged in cooled water, the fire appearing to have died a while ago, with only his nose, closed eyes, and hair sticking out of the water. 

"Ahou." Saitou quietly called as he sat on the raised edge of the wooden tub, a hand reaching out to brush damp stands away from Sanosuke's forehead. No response, not even the twitch of a brow; the water below his nose slightly disturbed by his breath the only thing indicating he was still alive. 

_"Ahou."_ Louder this time, though he received the same reaction, or lack thereof.

"Last chance." With that, Saitou grabbed a handful of limp, slightly damp hair and dunked the rest of Sanosuke's head under the water. 

The result was thrashing limbs and a sputtering _"what the fuck!?_ as Sanosuke resurfaced, leaving Saitou soaked down the front from the violent splashing. 

"You're lucky I got here in time, moron. You almost drowned." Saitou feigned worry as he pulled Sano up by his hair, as though he had rescued him from drowning instead of being the cause. 

"Bastard, you trying to kill me!?" The waterlogged rooster glared up at him from beneath the dripping mass of brown that fell around his head. 

"I have no idea what you're on about." Fighting the look of amusement threatening to cross his face, Saitou frowned. He let his fingers linger in that hair a moment more before caressing a cheekbone with his thumb. "Have you been in here all day?"

"...I guess so." Sanosuke sat up fully, shoulders and chest exposed, glistening in the dying sunlight filtering in through paper windows. Pruney hands wiped the water from sleepy eyes, which widened as his grumbling stomach made itself known. "I never ate breakfast."

"Then you'd better get out of there and dry off," Saitou stood, grabbing for a towel, "and refrain from doing this again."

"But it felt so nice..." Sanosuke hummed, taking the offered towel as he climbed out of the tub; his body rubbed pink as he buffed the water away. 

"You want your skin to fall off?" Despite his blank gaze and flat tone, Saitou was laughing inside as Sanosuke's face twisted up at what was surely an awful mental image. 

_"That can happen!?"_ Sanosuke's wide eyes stared at him in disbelief. 

"Maybe you will drown and rid me of the burden of feeding you." Saitou shrugged, leaving Sanosuke behind in the room to once again shout behind him, as he'd done that morning.

"You love feeding me, you prick!"

As was said, Saitou learned his lesson the first time and that... that was a mistake he tried not to repeat.


	4. working from home

Sanosuke should have learned his lesson the first time...

Where duty was concerned, Saitou had a one track mind– _Aku Soku Zan_ and all that. You'd be an absolute fool to come between him and his work on even the best of days and, unfortunately for Sanosuke, he was just that kind of fool. He found the man elbow deep in a stack of reports from various informants, the surface of his desk buried in paper, and it was glaringly obvious by the spent cigarettes overflowing the ashtray that Saitou was in no mood, but stubborn as Sanosuke was he didn't really care. 

" _Saitou~_ ," Sanosuke pulled the windows shut, thin paper dimming the light that had assisted Saitou in his reading. He turned, hoping it was enough to draw a little bit of the other's attention his way. 

"Ahou." Saitou hadn't looked up, but a mildly aggressive inhale brightened the ember at the end of his cigarette. 

"You've been at that ever since you got home. Put it down, take a break." He approached the desk, standing on the opposite side and fighting the urge to lean against the wood. Doing so would disrupt the clutter and he wanted attention, _not_ to be stabbed again–he wasn't that much of an idiot. Saitou didn't lift his head, but yellow eyes finally regarded him from beneath dark lashes and lowered brows, there was a warning in them that Sanosuke chose to ignore. "Come on, up up."

"You're perfectly capable of entertaining yourself until I'm finished. We both know this." Saitou took another long drag, exhaling towards Sanosuke and looking back down. He flipped to another report, grimacing at the sloppy handwriting only filling half the page. 

"Hey! This isn't about me!" Sanosuke barked before rounding the desk to stand behind Saitou, hands brushing along the officer's arms until they rested on tense shoulders. He bent over the back of the chair to mouth behind an ear, whispering into his skin, "this is about you."

"Me?" Saitou sounded suspicious but straightened in his chair as long fingers coaxed him to tip his head back against Sanosuke's shoulder. As Sanosuke nipped at the pale skin under his jaw and sent his hands south, Saitou eyed their bed. "There is one way you can convince me."

" _Anything_..." It was the filthiest moan Sanosuke could produce and warm breath sent goosebumps shivering along his skin. They did not last there long before Saitou caved, dragging the moron along until he was on top of Sanosuke on the western bed. He wasted no time in stripping Sanosuke of his jacket and sarashi, being sure to keep the wrappings mostly in tact. 

"I have thought about doing this to you many times," Saitou growled; voice low, rough from the fervor of their kisses. He took Sanosuke's wrists in hand, pulling them towards the headboard. He wound a length of sarashi around one, and then the other, securing them together, doubling and tightening the fabric. Sanosuke whined against his lips, rocking against him for firmer contact; eyes clamped shut, he didn't struggle as Saitou bound him to the headboard with deft hands and an intricate knot. 

Sanosuke tugged a little, testing the restraints as Saitou slid down the length of his body, leaving a trail of wet kisses and bite marks. When Saitou reached Sanosuke's feet, he unwound the sarashi there, mouthing at an ankle, before repeating the same to the other leg. 

"Never knew you were this much of a kinky bastard..." Sanosuke's voice trembled before cutting off on another moan as Saitou bit his calf. Saitou tied each leg to the wooden posts on either end of the bed; Sanosuke lifted his head to comment, "should've taken my pants off first..." before pushing back into the lush pillow with another soft noise at the strong hands on his feet. 

Saitou knelt between Sanosuke's spread legs, inspecting his work. His eyes, half-lidded and intense, raked up the length of Sanosuke's body, drawing a visible shudder, until they locked with glazed brown. He moved again, straddling Sanosuke and leaning forward to kiss deeply once more, hands pulling at wild strands as he untied the red band holding them back. Saitou withdrew, eye contact maintained as Sanosuke's blush deepened. "If you break the bed, I will take it out on your ass."

"Aren't you already gonna take it out on– _mfffff?!_ " That husky voice was abruptly cut off as Saitou forced the hachimaki between open lips and tied it tight at the back of Sanosuke's head. Saitou sat back with a wicked smirk, weight resting on Sanosuke's abdomen as the ahou's eyes cleared and widened. It seemed the idiot was catching on. 

"Now. I have work to finish. I will say this once more, you break the bed and there will be consequences." Saitou placed a teasing kiss to Sanosuke's cheek, against the hachimaki.

" _Mmmfffffhhhkrrrr!_ " The curse was incoherently muffled but perfectly understandable to Saitou as he climbed off of his captive and made to return to his desk. Sanosuke's eyes were burning holes into the back of his head and he turned enough to look over his shoulder, one gleaming eye nailing Sanosuke further to the bed. 

"If you keep looking at me like that, I'll blindfold you as well." Sanosuke's furrowed brows shot up, as well as the front of his pants, before he turned his glare to the ceiling.

Sanosuke should have learned his lesson the first time–not to nag an already aggravated, work-focused Saitou–but instead his only take-away was the newfound knowledge that he _really_ liked western-style beds with their sturdy wooden posts and he _really, really_ liked getting tied up by the older man. Maybe next time it would actually go somewhere...


End file.
